A Chilly Evening
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: "You know, there's a better way to keep your neck warm." [Weiss&Blake prompt].


**I made an offhand comment about how my hair is so long I can use it as a scarf. Of course, it turned into something RWBY-related. I'm glad I got it to be a decent-length story~**

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

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A Chilly Evening

Clouds drifted overhead, dyed various shades of pastel fire by the fading sunlight, scudding leisurely across the vast expanse of the boundless sky that was a full, golden color like honey.

The trees that dotted the outskirts of Beacon's courtyard were beginning to shed old leaves, reds, browns, and yellows depicted only in the few months a year when autumn graced the world. The grass was still clinging to life and color, but only barely, the blades turning pale and beige like straw.

Overall, a rustic tinge painted the world that evening as the sunset stretched gentle fingers out to keep the world lit just a few moments longer. The air smelled of earth and dust and crumpling leaves, sharp yet subtle scents that made one long to expand their lungs to the limits of their ribcage simply to let the scent fill them to the core.

It was a picture-perfect evening. But what painting was complete without a few merry children scampering through the fields?

Ruby and Yang dashed though the grass, taking turns chasing and being chased, though it was hardly fair when the younger of the two zipped ahead those few extra feet, using her semblance to maintain the distance and ensure Yang never so much as touched her.

Crimson rose petals mixed with the floating leaves on the breeze on their lazy descent to the ground. Shouts and squeals rose up along with playful threats of headlocks and noogies. Ruby's cloak snapped out behind her matching red hoodie, making for a bit of a comical appearance.

The sisters were like manifestations of the season itself – brown and golden hair, casual clothes matching the colors of the leaves that danced around them. They fit perfectly into the scenery, as if they had been born to run and laugh on evenings like these.

Their partners sat at a distance atop the hill as they watched; Blake was more one for the nighttime hours in such a season, and if the rest of the world had anything to say about it, Weiss would fit in best with the winter.

Appearance-wise, anyway; in reality, she honestly was not one for the colder temperatures unless her aura was in active use. But that was exclusively for battle or more extreme conditions; sitting at the edge of the courtyard beside her Faunus teammate hardly called for such drastic measures.

So presently, Weiss sat with her legs curled beneath her, boots together, her casual white skirt and leggings doing little to defend her skin from the breeze and cold grass. Her bare hands hugged her sides, baby-blue jacket zipped up all the way to her collar, though it left her neck exposed. Her ponytail shielded her right shoulder, which seemed to be the warmest spot on her entire body at the moment.

Blake needed to bite back a chuckle when she noticed the heiress' puffing white breath and pouting pink cheeks; she was clearly embarrassed by the fact that she was feeling the cold, but refused to admit she wanted to go back inside.

And Blake could hardly blame her, what with Ruby and Yang tumbling about in the grass beyond, inhibitions having been carried off on the wind twenty minutes earlier.

At that time, Beacon Academy stood quietly over them, as a guardian or protector of sorts. There were no responsibilities right now, no battles to fight, no enemies to fear; only the air and the colors of the world and each other.

Blake buried her hands deeper into the pockets of her dark purple trench coat, her legs comfortably snug beneath her black pants. She tucked her chin into her black scarf as the breeze tickled her hair, lifting it to comb gently down her back. Her ears flicked several times a minute to keep the blood flowing, the dark shades of her outfit, fur, and hair naturally absorbing the last rays of the sun before it started to set.

It was clear Weiss was a bit miffed by that as she sat there, finally losing to the shivers that she had been relentlessly fending off up until now. Blake noticed, and though a bit unsure of what to do, ended up sliding closer to her.

"Do you want to go back inside?" she wondered.

Weiss flicked her gaze to the side, groaning slightly when she realized she had been found out.

"No," she sighed. "Let them have their fun. Yang needed to grow up quickly to take care of her, so she never really got the chance to be a kid. Let her have this. And, well... Ruby still _is_ a kid," she noted. "I can hold out a while longer."

"You sure?" Blake could tell she was more bothered by the rather frigid air than she was letting on, teeth digging into pale lips to keep themselves from chattering. "They won't mind coming in a bit early, you know."

"I'm well aware," she nodded. "But I'm fine. A chilly evening isn't exactly the worst thing I've ever faced, after all."

"You're right," Blake chuckled.

They continued to watch their partners in their shenanigans.

Yang had finally managed to tackle Ruby who had been running happily with her eyes closed, unaware of her sister when she ran around to cut her off and pounce.

After a brief struggle and tickle attack, Ruby had fended her off before scrambling to her feet and taking off again, using her semblance to gather up the fallen leaves around the courtyard and bringing them back to compile into a large mound. Then, she spread her arms and fell backward into the pile that crunched loudly beneath her weight, sinking under a bit and only just barely managing to roll out of the way before Yang belly-flopped in beside her.

Blake's left ear twitched as she heard a faint laugh coming from the girl at her side, and she looked to find that Weiss' pout had faded a bit in favor of a smile. But she was clearly still shuddering, hunching her shoulders up and pressing her chin to her chest.

Blake rolled her eyes; this girl was so stubborn.

Not wanting to injure the heiress' pride, Blake made a subtle comment:

"You know, there's a better way to keep your neck warm."

Weiss blinked, puzzled, and cast her an inquiring sidelong glance. Blake pulled her hands from her pockets and reached up to Weiss' shoulder, but paused before she could make contact.

"May I?" she checked.

Her response was a nod, and she proceeded.

Carefully, she trailed her fingers through Weiss' ponytail - the usual soft, silken tresses were now cold and stiff, crystalline sparkles frosted in.

"It'll be chilly at first, but just bear with it, okay?"

She curled the heiress' ponytail through her hands a few times before slowly draping it around Weiss' shoulders, keeping it loose and bringing it around all the way in the form of a makeshift scarf.

The heiress was still as Blake tended to her ponytail, only remembering to release her breath when the Faunus girl finally leaned back once more.

When she realized exactly what Blake's solution to the issue was, Weiss chuckled.

"How did you ever come up with such an idea?" she wondered.

Blake gave a slight shrug.

"Well... I actually used to do the same thing. When I was younger, I spent a lot of time out on the streets. I used to tie my hair in a ponytail and use it as a scarf, but tying it up hurt my ears a bit. When my parents noticed, they bought me a bandana, and after that I could leave my hair down. Eventually, this came into my possession-" she curled her hands around the ends of her black scarf. "-and I've worn it ever since, not only to keep away the chills, but I've just gotten used to the softness." She finished her explanation, fiddling with the ends of the accessory with a gentle fondness.

Weiss assumed the scarf had a story behind it as well, but it was hardly the time or place to inquire.

"Well, I think that's a very clever idea you came up with," she offered a smile. "A method only people with hair as _long_ and _luscious_ as ours could ever utilize." Weiss blew a majestic breath upward to clear the bangs from her face, earning a laugh from the Faunus girl at her side.

"Right," Blake agreed. "I won't tell Yang, though. This can be our secret method." Plus, Yang hardly needed her own hair or scarf to keep warm, thanks to her semblance.

Blake peeked curiously over at the girl next to her, noticing Weiss had stopped shivering so much. She highly doubted it was because of what Blake had done for her, and it was probably more plausible to assume Weiss has simply gotten accustomed to the cold air at this point, but Blake indulged herself and asked anyway.

"Is it working?"

Weiss hugged her arms tighter to her chest.

"I believe so," she reported. "My hair seems to contain some semblance of warmth. It's better than the raw air, anyway."

Blake nodded, but she could tell by Weiss' pink cheeks that she was still cold.

"That's good," the Faunus girl murmured, maintaining her smile. "But how about – just for now – we switch?" As she spoke, she began unraveling her black scarf.

"Switch? What are you-"

As Weiss turned to question her, Blake reached up and started to gently slide the heiress' ponytail down again. Instead, she wrapped her own scarf around Weiss' shoulders, patting it in gently until it was snug against her exposed, white skin. Weiss had to admit it felt wonderfully warm, especially after having been on Blake's person all this time.

"But what about you? Now you'll catch the chills."

"Like I said..." Blake slid closer to her side. "We switch." She ran her fingers through Weiss' alabaster hair before coiling it around her own neck in place of the now-absent scarf.

Weiss actually chuckled at the sight of the dark-clad girl with her white hair curled around her, a dire contrast to Blake's own onyx tresses.

Blake heard the laugh and her smile widened.

"The only catch is that we can't move," she noted.

"I don't think that will be a problem," the heiress said, biting her lip to keep back the laughter.

Besides, Blake's warmth was pooling into her side, and Weiss liked to believe she was providing the same favor for her teammate.

They sat there side by side for a while as the sun began to slip down behind the horizon.

Ruby and Yang continued their antics – tackling, chasing, jumping, twirling – and their partners watched calmly from their vantage point. The courtyard changed colors from orange to pink to musky, hazy blue as the minutes ticked on.

But now that Weiss was warm, there was no reason for any of them to want to rush through the twilight.

She and Blake sat quietly in the grass, the only sounds being the other's light breathing, which was muffled only by the jovial laughter of the sisters down the hill.

With the heiress pressed against her side, Blake realized Weiss had stopped shivering at long last, and she smiled in knowing they could all enjoy themselves now.

The last golden drops of the sunlight vanished, and a gray mist settled in.

Ruby and Yang collapsed on top of one another on their pile of leaves, scattering dozens of them as the last of their energy finally started to slip away.

Blake watched them in amusement, about to make a comment to her companion until she felt a light pressure on her shoulder.

Ears perked, she looked to the side to find Weiss resting against her, shoulders rising and falling slowly. Blake took the liberty of leaning into the heiress as she dozed, supporting her and making sure she did not slide or slump.

Blake was liking the thought of some tea and a good book in bed right about now, but for the time being, she savored Weiss' proximity for all it was worth.

Her lungs filled with Weiss' scent due to the heiress' hair being placed so closely beneath her chin; it was calming and refreshing, and Blake almost let herself drift off as well.

Only when the sisters' laughter grew quiet and the crickets started to chirp their songs did the cold finally become too much for them all. Blinking her eyes, she looked up sleepily when she heard the crunch of leaves, and found Ruby and Yang had retreated up the hill to meet them.

"Weiss, Blake, look!" Ruby cheered. "We found some berry bushes and picked a few! Maybe we can- mmph!" She was silenced quickly by her sister's palm.

"Shh, shh! Can't you see the princess is sleeping?" Yang whispered, casting a glance to her own partner. "Maybe I should carry her back?"

"I think-"

"That-" a dreary voice cut Blake's answer off. "That won't be necessary..." Weiss drawled as she lifted her head from the Faunus girl's shoulder. She blinked her eyes open just as Ruby plopped down to her knees in front of her partner, eagerly holding out her hands to display her findings.

"Look, Weiss! We found berries! Maybe we can make our own jam!"

"Of course we can," Weiss agreed. "Just... tomorrow, please?"

"Oh yeah, yeah, of course!" Ruby nodded. "You seem pretty tired right now so I'll just put them in a bowl for tonight. Can you get up? You look awfully comfy and warm! And Blake, too! You guys sure found a nice way to sit, huh?"

It was only thanks to Ruby's words that Weiss realized the girl and her elder sister were now grinning down at Blake and herself, and Yang was clearly holding back an arsenal of teasing phrases.

Weiss turned her head to the side, meeting Blake's eyes that were much closer than she had anticipated, remembering their positions. The warmth that had settled at her side seemed to rise to her cheeks all at once as she quickly straightened up.

"I-I'm fine. Let's just get back inside." She took Blake's hand and helped her up as subtly as humanly possible before letting her go.

With a spin, Weiss took off toward the school, hoping the lighting was too dim for any of them to have noticed the tinge on her cheeks.

Blake failed to suppress another chuckle as she went, both because of how Weiss' ponytail had tickled her when it slipped off, and because of how clearly bashful the heiress was about the ordeal.

Ruby stood up beside her sister and the Faunus girl, cradling her berries as the three of them started after their teammate.

"She's so cute," Yang mused.

"But uh, Blake?" Ruby lifted her chin and directed her gaze at her partner to indicate what she wanted to convey.

"It's fine," Blake smiled.

In her haste to get back into the shelter of the school and its much-appreciated heating system, Weiss had walked off while still wearing Blake's scarf.

But Blake hardly minded.

She could ask for it back later.

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**A/N: Welp, that's that!**

**Please review!**


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